Hi gang, here's a lovely guitar that caught my eye, great price... but I've never seen a Strat without a pickguard.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-6-String-Electric-Guitar-Beautiful-Burnt-Orange-04032141-/230683116353?pt=Guitar&hash=item35b5c90341

Serial number... 04032141, Korean made.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=230683116353

Frankenguitar, perhaps?

I could be wrong, but I believe that is a Fender Showmaster. I remember seeing them back in the 90s, I don't know much about them though.

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A Showmaster... I think you're right. Never heard of them
Here's another listing for one for sale: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Showmaster-Electric-Guitar-/250910167793?pt=Guitar&hash=item3a6b6952f1

and its serial number printing looks just like this orange one. Thanks very much!

The thing is only at $125 now... doubt it'll stay in that neighborhood for long.

The Showmaster was originally called the Stratocaster Showmaster. It was a set neck guitar with a carved top, sometimes in figured maple. Then in the mid to late 90's it lost the Stratocaster handle and was known simply as the Showmaster. It was during this period when the best examples were built. It was a Custom Shop only guitar (team built) until about 7 or 8 years ago (if memory serves) when they started making MIM versions and stopped featuring them in the catalogue as C/S models. As a C/S model it could be purchased with a 2 point trem or with a Wilkinson Stop Tail. Most of them had a bridge bucker (HSS) and some had 2 buckers (HH). For a brief period there was a variant that was a bolt neck. There was also a variant called the Elite which featured a Tele style headstock and an optional chambered body (no F-hole). They were priced around $3000 back in the late 90's. I almost bought one back then and still wish I had.

Here's a pic I found on the net of those guitars from that era.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

That orange one is a killer looking guitar. And you're probably right that the $125 won't be around long.

The body on that looks pretty similar to the "slab" design of my "Band of Gypsies" strat, without all of the usual contours of a Strat. Still very comfortable.

Ah, if only I had the talent, the need, and oh yeah, the extra $$ to make that orange one mine.

It is a Showmaster. Built in Korea. I have one with a quilt top and humbuckers, and black chrome trim. Beautiful guitars.

The auction ended for this guitar, ending price: $201.48 with a reasonable $25 shipping. That is a good deal - the new owner will have to put strings on it immediately, as it doesn't come with any.
I decided against it; it looks 'kinda' like my Schecter C-1 +, and I'd rather have a different style.
Thanks for the responses!

Wow!! Had I ever seen that, I would have bid double for it. Showmasters are freaking great, and Korean made guitars are highly underrated in the U.S. in my opinion. Whoever won that is gonna be a very happy person.

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This auction illustrates an important eBay basic: if you can't give a full description of what you're selling, peeps ain't gonna find your stuff! Nowhere in the ad does it say Showmaster. If the seller (a pawn shop) had, they'd have gotten more for it.

Exactly!! That was a golden auction just because of that. That's what you HOPE to find.

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That's right, you have to know what you have and how to advertise it. I purchased a 50's Classic Tele, in mint shape, for under $200. It sat on Craig's List for a month because the picture was poor, and it was advertised as a Tele, which sounded like a basic MIM.

I agree with all of the above on the git being a Showmaster ... There are also Stagemasters, too ... Lots of different flavors. The MIKs are the most common, but there were also some MIA CSs, Squiers, and ... I believe ... a short Fender MIM run.

But there are pickguardless Strats, though. Isn't the Mahogany Strat sans guard?

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